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Back to Zócalo's Connecting California

Zócalo's Connecting California

Quakes, nuts and 66ers: It's baseball, California style!

From Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga to Stockton and Visalia, the California League entertains baseball fans while reflecting some of the struggles faced by the state as whole.

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KCRW placeholderBy Joe Mathews • Aug 17, 2017 • 5m Listen

If you love baseball but are put off by the high ticket prices and interminable length of Big League games, you should check out the California League. The venerable circuit has been serving up quality minor league baseball for more than seven decades. It's a fan-friendly league that plays its games in some of the state's most historical stadiums. But many of those venues are also out-of-date, and Zócalo columnist Joe Mathews says that poses a threat to the survival of the California League. Teams have left Bakersfield and Adelanto for other states in recent years, and the league is down to eight teams, its lowest total in decades.

Photo by SD Dirk

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    Joe Mathews

    Host, "Zocalo's Connecting California"

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